ISLAMABAD, Feb 13 (APP):The Senate on Friday passed The National Archives (Amendment) Bill, 2026, moved by Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry.
The bill seeks to amend existing legal provisions relating to the functioning and administrative framework of the National Archives.
According to the statement of objects and reasons, the amendment follows the Supreme Court’s judgment in Mustafa Impex, Karachi v. Government of Pakistan (PLD 2016 SC 808), which clarified that executive decisions involving policy, financial or administrative implications should be taken collectively by the federal cabinet rather than by individual office holders, unless authorised by law.
Officials noted that several existing laws continue to assign routine procedural and administrative powers to the “federal government,” requiring minor and non-policy matters to be repeatedly placed before the federal cabinet.
This practice has been observed to place an avoidable burden on the cabinet and cause delays in administrative processes.
The Cabinet Division carried out a review of relevant laws with the aim of streamlining governance, improving administrative efficiency and ensuring that the federal cabinet focuses on matters of national policy and strategic importance.
The amendment bill seeks to rationalise and reassign certain administrative powers to appropriate authorities in line with these objectives.
The legislation is intended to facilitate smoother administrative functioning while aligning legal provisions with the Supreme Court’s guidance on collective cabinet decision-making.